


Fried Dough Detour

by javabi



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: (not feels like 'ahh! it hurts!' more like 'aww thats sweet'), Canon Compliant, Carnival, Family Feels, Gap Filler, Gen, Season/Series 02, Sister-Sister Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-17
Updated: 2015-01-17
Packaged: 2018-03-08 00:08:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3188408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/javabi/pseuds/javabi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the truck on their way to Cold River, Helena convinces Sarah to stop at a carnival. Impersonations, sticky fingers, and fluffy teddy bear prizes ensue.</p>
<p>(set between 2x05 and 2x06)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fried Dough Detour

“Sestra, I want to go to the carnival.”

“Carnival? What carnival? There isn't a--”

“There.”

Sarah squinted through the truck's grubby windshield in the direction Helena was pointing. Between the graying buildings, behind a thick copse of trees, she could just barely make out the tip of a striped circus tent. A pennant whipped jovially in the wind at the very top, and every so often the seat of a Ferris wheel popped over the treetops, metal shimmering in the dying sun.

Sarah took her eyes off the road for a few seconds to shoot a definitive glare at Helena. “No.”

“But sestra--”

“Helena, I said no, okay? We've got to get to Cold River to find Swan Man.”

“I just wanted to try the cotton candy.” Helena replied, looking sullenly into her own lap. “Have you heard of this, Sarah? Cotton candy? Thomas talked about it sometimes.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. She could see right through this Pitiful Weirdo Victim act, she'd tried it on Mrs. S so many times as a kid. Well, not so much the “weirdo” bit, but she definitely understood the gist of how the act was supposed to work.

“Yeah, I know what cotton candy is, Helena. And I can tell you it's not worth the hype. So just, I dont know, go to sleep or something, okay? We might even be able to get there before dark if we're lucky.”

“Don't want sleep.” Helena said gruffly, staring out the window and tossing her mop of hair out of her face. “I want to try the cotton candy. And dough that has been fried.”

“Fried dough?” Sarah smiled. She couldn't deny how much she loved fried dough. “Yeah, that stuff is great. Crunchy and gooey at the same time, but not gross like Jaffa cakes.”

“What is Jaffa cake?”

“No, uh – sorry. Just something Fe and I used to eat as kids. Don't worry about it.”

The truck stopped at a red light in an empty intersection. A tense silence fell between them. Sarah looked at her sister. Helena's eyes were wide and hopeful, she was clearly still fixated on the idea of fried dough. “You know, uh--” Sarah paused, still wondering if this was a good idea. “Swan Man will probably still be there in the morning. I guess we could stop for some fried dough. If you want.”

“And cotton candy?”

“Maybe, but don't push it.”

Helena smiled triumphantly as Sarah turned away from the intersection and steered the truck towards the colorful lights and fluttering tents in the distance.

-O-

“Helena! Stay close to me, yeah?”

“I am here, sestra.”

Sarah couldn't help but smile. Helena was skipping through the crowd, her blonde hair bouncing, singing along with the music playing through tinny speakers nearby. Two sticks of cotton candy, one blue and one pink, were clutched tightly in on of her sticky hands, the other hand waiting for whatever sweet treat Sarah would allow her to have next.

“Sarah! SARAH! I see fried dough!” Helena turned back to face her, and it was a wonder how she managed to annunciate so well considering the disgusting amount of cotton candy stuffed into her mouth.

“Yeah, all right, get back here and we'll get some together.”

When they both had plates of fried dough (Helena's so covered in powdered sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup, and butter the actual dough was completely hidden), Sarah ushered her sister towards a picnic table off to the side. She didn't want to have to deal with an angry Helena if her fried dough was dropped on the ground. Or, maybe more accurately, she didn't want to have to deal with telling Helena not to eat it out of the dirt. Or both. Either way, the picnic table was a good idea.

Helena's dough was gone in about thirty seconds, which Sarah shouldn't have been surprised about. “You're not getting another one, meathead.”

“No problem,” Helena replied brightly, picking up the empty paper plate and licking it clean. “I have cotton candy.”

“Yeah, that's true. Eat that before you get back into the car, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Helena was imitating her. Sarah wasn't sure if she should be flattered or offended.

She decided to play along. “Yeah.” Sarah said in a butchered Ukrainian accent.

Helena giggled. “Ти мій улюблений сестра.”

“What's that mean, then?”

“'You are my favorite sister.'”

Sarah huffed, but felt warmth puddling in her gut. “I'm your _only_ sister. Your only real one, anyway.”

Helena didn't reply. Instead she started wolfing down cotton candy like it was made of... well, air. “I like this very much.”

With a laugh, Sarah replied, “Bet your teeth hate it, though.”

“My teeth do not have feelings.”

“Oh yeah? Have you asked them?”

Helena stopped eating briefly to shoot Sarah a puzzled look.

Sarah repressed an eye roll with difficulty. “Never mind. I was trying to be funny.”

Helena ignored her reply and looked at the fairground around them. Their picnic table was sitting at the very edge of the carnival, a hallway of food booths spread to their right, a haphazard smattering of rides and games sprawling to their left. Families clamored on all sides; kids shouting excitedly and munching their sticky treats, while parents tried to keep some sort of order and clutched colorful armloads of prizes. Helena giggled as she watched a small girl walk by with a gigantic green teddy bear balanced on her head, the stuffed animal literally bigger than the child.

“What, you want one?” Sarah asked lightly, half-expecting to be ignored.

“Yes.”

“Finish your cotton candy and we'll try to find the game.”

“Game?”

“You have to win the bear. Like, a penny toss or darts or something.”

Helena tilted her head, clearly confused. “Why?”

“I don't know, it's supposed to be fun I guess.” Sarah tried not to let her frustration show. She was already stressed out about this Swan Man situation, not to mention the fact Felix might be arrested for murder in three days, but it wasn't fair to take that out on Helena, who was just trying to have a good time. She took a deep breath. “Sorry. Eat your cotton candy.”

In hindsight, that was a bad suggestion. Helena stuffed the entire stick of pink cotton candy in her mouth and started chewing lewdly.

“Weirdo.” said Sarah, but she was laughing. Helena grinned.

-O-

After the most terrifying game of “pop-the-balloon-with-the-dart” Sarah had ever witnessed, Helena finally had her bear. She clutched it to her chest happily as they walked away from the booth, where a disgruntled teenager was pulling darts out of the top of his hat. Helena hadn't exactly won the game; the guy had just given her the bear to make her go away. But she was happy, so that's all Sarah really cared about.

“Ready to go back to the car now? We won't make it to Cold River tonight, so we'll have to stop to get some supplies to camp out somwhere.”

Helena wasn't looking at her. She was sucking a stick of rock candy absentmindedly, watching the merry-go-round with a look of bemused entertainment.

“Let's do that.”

“You want to ride the merry-go-round? No, Helena, that's kids' stuff. We should go back to the car. Hit up a department store and find a place to spend the night, 'k?”

Helena smiled mischievously and started walking towards the merry-go-round.

“You'll need tickets, meathead.”

Helena stopped. She looked back at Sarah and narrowed her eyes. “How?”

“How do you get tickets? Buy them. With money. Which you don't have.” Sarah turned her back on Helena, expecting her sister to follow her to the parking lot. “C'mon, time to go.”

“Sestra please!”

Sarah turned around. Helena was on her knees, rock candy hanging out of her mouth, begging.

“Please, one more fun. Then Cold River, yes?” She grinned, then imitated Sarah again. “Yeah?”

Rolling her eyes, Sarah agreed. “ _One_ more. But that's just because everyone should have at least one go on the merry-go-round at some point in their life, and somehow I don't think your nun friends ever got around to it.”

Helena yelled in excitement and ran towards the ride.

“Hey! Hang on! We need tickets, weirdo.” Sarah sighed and turned towards the tiny ticket booth.

-O-

While the two of them sat on the merry-go-round, surrounded by children and cheesy music and old-fashioned white lights, Sarah had to admit she was having a good time. Helena was having the night of her life, based on the ecstatic grin plastered to her face. She was staring up at the lights with manic glee, swaying her head to the music and clutching the blue plaster unicorn beneath her as though it was real.

“You like this, huh?” Sarah said quietly. The warm feeling in her belly had spread to her fingers and toes. Watching her sister enjoy herself so much filled her with something familial, a connection she couldn't quite describe but reminded her vaguely of Kira.

As a response, Helena merely nodded. Her eyes sparkled like the lights she was so fixated on, face glowing with joy and excitement.

“I'm glad.”

Sarah found that she truly meant it. For some reason, seeing Helena happy, watching her have fun, made it hard for Sarah to keep a smile off her face.

Not that she tried too hard.


End file.
